Antibacterial fibers may be useful in a wide variety of applications. A number of antibacterial fiber products and systems incorporating the same have been developed.
A variety of inorganic agents, including zeolites and metal particles that release antimicrobial or antifungal metal ions such as Ag+, Zn2+, Cu2+ have been used in this context. Fabric substrates containing applied inorganic agent via methods such as soak or pad application to fabric substrates after they have been woven have been prepared. Inorganic agent mixture with polymers followed by extrusion to fibers has been accomplished, as well, although such methods have been associated with a number of problems, such as inconsistent concentration and dispersion of the antimicrobial agent, especially in the case of metal particles, which tend to fall out of solution and may clump together during manufacturing, application, and/or use, thereby rendering an undesirable textile product having inadequate, uncontrolled, and/or non-durable antimicrobial activity, as well as defects such as weak tensile strength, high abrasiveness, and other undesirable properties.
The use of metallic nanoparticles as antimicrobial and antifungal agents in textiles has been attempted, but success has been elusive due to clumping and other challenges to obtaining a controlled, uniform dispersion and concentration of the nanoparticles in the final textile product. Metal nanoparticles have not been successfully incorporated into textiles to produce a product having desirable properties to date, however.
For all these reasons, there exists a continuing and unmet need for improved textiles having antimicrobial and/or antifungal agents and for improved methods for their manufacture.